In a vehicle having a convertible seat whose back is to be locked in both an upright position for passenger use and a horizontal position for storage use, a car body connector hinge is generally provided for anchoring the seat back cushion to the body of the automobile and has a pivot point or hinge axis allowing the seat back cushion to pivot between the horizontal position and the upright position.
A rear seat arrangement has conventionally been used in which the lower portion at a front edge of a seat cushion is pivotally supported on a seat floor surface of a vehicle body, while the lower portion of a seat back is coupled to the seat floor surface through a double-hinge connection, so that when the motor vehicle is to be loaded with a large load, the seat cushion is rotated forward for erection about the lower portion at its front edge, and by folding down the seat back into a space formed in the seat floor surface by the displacement of the seat cushion, the back face of the seat back is held generally flush with a load carrying platform located behind the rear seat arrangement for expansion of the load carrying accommodation area for the platform.
Another known configuration includes a seat which is capable of folding between an upright seating position and a forwardly folded position. In the forwardly folded position, the back of the seat is often used as a load carrying surface. That is, as the seat is folded, the back can be used as an extension of the vehicle floor to carry loads other than people. The seat assembly includes a frame having a plurality of links pivotally secured together which form a parallelogram. The assembly further includes a collapsible cross-link that allows the frame assembly to be moved to the forwardly folded position and locks the same in the upright seating position. The seating load on the frame is carried in tension by the cross-link. When a force is applied in the forward direction of the vehicle, however, the cross-link is placed in compression and carries the load in compression. This compressive force requires a relatively heavy and sturdy beam.
While these known configurations may perform the intended function adequately, the configurations require relatively complex hinge and lock mechanisms. The complexity of the mechanisms increase the weight generally beyond that considered acceptable by modern automotive manufacturers. In addition, these mechanisms can be more difficult to operate and typically have numerous moving parts which generally increases the probability of problems associated with the mechanism due to wear of the moving parts.